The present invention relates to dispensers and articles contained therein, and more particularly to a reusable dispenser and a plurality of disposable child mitt wipes contained therein.
From birth to an age of about two years old, a little boy or girl will wear diapers until he or she is ready for the toilet training process. Some children may start the toilet training process as early as the age of fifteen months, while others may not be ready until after the age of two. The age at which a child will begin this training process is dependent upon many factors, some of which are psychological, some physiological, and some unique to each individual child.
The total toilet training process embraces a number of aspects, some of which may or may not apply to each child. One aspect of the total toilet training process is the change from diapers to training pants to help the child understand that he or she may now more easily use the toilet, just like grownups.
Another aspect of the total toilet training process includes parental or caregiver instruction as a positive encouragement and reinforcement to the child that he or she should now be using the toilet, instead of using diapers or the like. Related to parental or caregiver instruction can be the use of written materials oriented to children at this particular age.
Still another aspect of the total toilet training process includes the examples of older brothers or sisters that have already proceeded successfully through this process. Generally, the younger untrained brother or sister will want to imitate the older trained brother or sister.
Yet another aspect of the total toilet training process includes cleanup after going to the toilet, especially after a bowel movement. In this case, parents or caregivers will desire that their children eventually become independent in cleaning themselves after going to the toilet. This means that two areas must be addressed by both the parents, or caregivers, and the child; one is how the child cleans up, and the other is how well the child cleans up.
In addressing the cleanup aspect of toilet training, parents or caregivers will usually first introduce their child to conventional bathroom tissue, i.e., toilet paper. Although it is understandable that the use of toilet paper may be the first method attempted by parents or caregivers to assist their child in cleaning up, it poses numerous problems for the child. One problem is that the tissue, of which the toilet paper is made, may not be strong enough to withstand the use by a child. If the child uses too little toilet paper, the toilet paper can tear or puncture during use, resulting in a mess on the child and anything within reach of the child. This presents sanitary problems, and can be a discouragement and frustration to the child by not being able to independently clean himself or herself after going to the toilet.
Another problem associated with conventional toilet paper is that children tend to pull too much toilet paper off of the roll. A bathroom that has its floor cluttered with excessive unrolled toilet paper can evoke less than encouraging or reinforcing words from the parent or caregiver.
Furthermore, if the child pulls too much toilet paper off of the roll, it is likely that the child will make a large ball of toilet paper, and attempt to clean himself or herself with it. This can result in less than efficient use of toilet paper, less than efficient cleanup, and quite possibly plugging of the toilet.
Another problem with conventional toilet paper is that it is more difficult for a child to manipulate the tissue to his or her bottom in order to clean. This is due to children's bodies being differently proportioned compared to adult bodies. More specifically, the child's arms may not be long enough to easily reach the cleanup area. Most children also do not have the necessary manual dexterity to overcome this particular problem. This problem is further magnified since the child cannot visually see the area he or she needs to cleanup.
With all of these problems associated with a child using toilet paper, it does not come as a surprise that assistance is required. For the child, this can be an embarrassment and humiliation in not being capable of adequately taking care of himself or herself. Furthermore, a child may, at this age, desire privacy and independence. This can be indicated when the child closes a bathroom door, when in the past an open door was never a concern. If the parent, or caregiver, needs to assist the child, there can be a conflict of emotion for the child that may be obstructive to the cleanup aspect of the toilet training process.
One attempt to address some of the above problems is to provide wipes specifically designed for use by children. These wipes are generally thicker than regular toilet paper, and usually only one wipe is supposed to be used. Although these wipes may be thicker and therefore not as prone to tear or puncture during use, they still present the problem associated with a flat, small wipe that is difficult for the child to manipulate or use in a correct manner. As with any unsuccessful attempt in cleanup, the child can become discouraged and the toilet training process may be delayed.
Another problem associated with children's wipes is that they can be perceived by the child as a "baby" wipe, as opposed to a grownup's bathroom tissue. Since the child wants to feel like a grownup who can independently cleanup, the use of a product perceived to be intended for babies can cause a child to refuse to use the wipe.
Important to encouraging a child to want to clean himself or herself, after going to the toilet, is that the child should have easy access to the wipes. Some wipes come in containers, as opposed to rolls, for various reasons. Some of these reasons include easy portability of the wipes when traveling out of the home, keeping the wipes moist if they have been so treated, or the like. For the child to be encouraged to use wipes in a container, the wipes should be easily dispensable. This means that the container lid should be easily opened by a child, bearing in mind that most children do not have an adult's manual dexterity. If the container is difficult to open, the child may have to hold the container in other than an upright position in order to open the lid, thereby resulting in the wipes possibly falling out of the container. This is a situation that can cause embarrassment and frustration to the child, and result in less than encouraging or reinforcing words from the parent or caregiver.
It now can be appreciated that the total toilet training process involves many aspects for both the child and the parent or caregiver. Some of these aspects affect children differently, or may not even be a factor for a particular child. It is this uniqueness of each individual child that presents a major challenge for both the child and the parent or caregiver. If any of these aspects are unsuccessful, the child's progress through the toilet training process can be unnecessarily delayed due to numerous failures and frustrations.